Lubricated coupling.



PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907 R. A. McKEE. LUBRIOATED COUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.14, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

NNQQ K INVENTOR i K7 9Mw- (3166a Una/Lia N0. 875,588. PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907. R. A. MGKEB.

LUBRIGATED COUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 14. 1906.

3 SHEBTS-SHEBT 2.

WITNESSES:

, [312M M ATTORNEY.

flTNESSES:

No. 875,588. PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907. R. A. MGKEE.

LUBRIGATED COUPLING.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT.14,1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 F1g.IE. @ENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT A. MCKEE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO ALLIS-OHALMERS COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

LUBRICATED COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1907.

T 0 all whom it may concern: a 1

Be it known that 1, ROBERT A. MCKEE, a citizen of the United States, residin at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Lubricated Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a lubricated coupling and is of special importance where two movable members, particularly rotatable members, are in contact but are free to move'slidably with respect to each other.

Broadly stated, this invention comprises the combination oftworotatable members one of which'is adapted to bear against and rotate the other, one of the members being so constructed'and arranged that a lubricant is fed by centrifugal force between the surfaces in contact.

More specifically this invention relates to the combination with two rotatablememhers provided with teeth of a con ling member provided with teeth adapteci the teeth of the rotatable members, the structure being such that a lubricant is fed by centrifugal'force between the contacting faces of the teeth.

In the accom anying drawings which illustrate an embo iment of this invention and on which the same reference characters are used to designate the same element in each of the several views,-Figure 1 is a vertical section of two rotatable members and a coupling member embodying my invention taken on the line a-a of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of the coupling device and associated parts, the view being taken on the line bb of Fig. 1-. Fig. 3 is a detail in section of a modification. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a part of the rotatable members and coupling device as shown by Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view 4, but showing a modification of forming the oil ducts.

in the manner In certain classes of machinery it is delea driving with a drlven.

sirable to con member in suc 1' a manner that while there is a positive driving connection ,between 'the two, the connection is flexible so that there is a slight amount of play origive between the parts. This may be necessary because the two rotatable members are not originally placed exactly in alinement or because, on

to engage similar to Fig.

account of high 'rotative speeds, 'one or the other, orboth, of the rotatlve members may be slightly displaced. In using steam turbinesas the drlving member for dynamos or other machinery, on account of the high speed of the turbine and the fact that it is almost impossible to exactly balance the rotative parts, the shaft of the turbine is allowed. a slight play, more so in fact than would be allowed in machinery which is driven more slowly. In fact, it is quite common in turbine practice to allow consider able play between the shaft and the bearings, and, in order to lubricate these bearings, a forced feed of oil or equivalent lubricant is used and the shaft really rotates on "a thin film of oil in its bearing. As some oil will under .such conditions exude from the beari s, provision has been made by this invention to utilize this oil which exudes for lubricating" the contacting teeth of the couplin and rotating 'members.

On the drawings the numeral 1 represents the driving shaft of a steam turbine, for exam le; 2 re resents the driven shaft, as the sha t of a dynamo, for example; 11 represents the bearing of the driving shaft; 21 represents the bearing of the driven shaft; 12 represents the lining of the driving shaft bearing; 22 represents the lining of the driven'shaft bearing; 13 represents the oil space between the driving shaft and its bearing lining; 23 represents the oil space lining.

The numeral 14 represents a key for the drivingshaft; 24 a key for the driven shaft; 15 a member seated upon the end of the drivin shaft, and 25 a member seated upon the end of the driven shaft.

The numeral 160 represents a con ling 'member which is shown as composed 0 two parts designated respectively as 16 and 26, which are united by the bolts 17. r

The members 15 and 25 .as formed separately from, but seated on, the shafts 1 and 2, may be formed integrally with said shafts, but forconvenience in manufacturing and assembling the parts it is preferred that they be formed as separate any suitable way, as by a shrink fit or a forced fit, keys 14 and 24 affording additional between the driven shaft and its bearing which are shown members and connected with the shafts in l security against any slip taking place as between these members and their respective shafts. I

The member 15 is shown as provided with a series of teeth 110 on the exterior thereof, while the-member 'is shown as provided with a similar series of teeth 210. The members 16 and 26 of the cou ling are shown as provided with correspon ing teeth 310 and 410, respectively, adapted to en age ,with the beforementioned teeth on mem ers 15 and 25.

In the preferred form of the invention as shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings, the members 16 and 26 are duplicates each of the other with the exception that one of said members, as 15, is provided with a projection 41 which is adapted to be seated 1n a recess 51 formed in the other.

It will be observed from the structure shown that as the shaft 1 is rotated, the teeth 110 on the member 15 will enga e with tween said members'and the coupling member 160. The members 16 and 26 are also recesseddnteriorly, projections 121 and 221 respectively being left which are adapted to seat upon the shoulders 120 and 220 provided on the members 15 and 25.

With this form of coupling member and associated parts it is apparent that the driving shaft can positive y actuate the driven shaft while at the same time there exists in the connection as a. wholeconsiderable flexibility so that the driven shaft is not affected by any slight difference of alinement 'which may exist between the two shafts arisin either from the .original setting of said s afts or on account of displacement due to rotation or other causes.

It is apparent that the teeth on the coup ling mem er canxmove slightly with respect to the teeth on the members 15 and 25, and that the rojections 121 and 221 can also move sli htly with respect to the shoulders 120 and 220.

- afford 'means for The purpose of the resent invention is to surfaces of the teeth and the rojections 121 and 221 and shoulders 120 an 220.

Advantage is taken of the fact that some 1 lubricant Wlll exude from the spaces between the shafts and their bearings and the members 15 and'25 are recessed to form receptacles 18 and 28 to catch such lubricant as it In ricating the bearing exudes and which may be thrown off by centrifu al force, and ducts 19 and 29 are provide leading from said receptacles 18 and 28 to the faces of the teeth 110 and 210 that normally contact with the teeth 310 and 410 respectively.

Ducts 40 and 50 are also provided affording communication between the receptacles 18 and 28 and space 60 through which lubricant will flow and thus reach projections 121 and 221 and shoulders 120 and 220.

After the couplin members and the coacting parts have lieen nicely fitted together, if it were necessary to dismantle the coupling, some inconvenience would be encountered in reassembling the parts in exactly the same relation which they occupied before they were dismantled. In order to expedite the reassembling of the several parts in the same relation that formerly existed, a dowel pin 95 may be secured to one of the parts so as to enter a recess formed in another of the parts. It has been deemed necessary to show only one dowel pin asit is obvious that the same expedient could be used with the members 25 and 26 and the members 16 and 26. Marks upon the exterior surfaces of the parts, or any similar devices for this purpose could be employed.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the device as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. .In this modification the recess 18 is shown as formed by a separate piece 80 secured to the member 15. A pipe 90 is also shown by which a more co ious supply of lubricant maybe delivers to the recess 18.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the method of forming the oil ducts in the member 25. The members 15 and 25 are ordinarily formed as duplicates each of the other, and either member could be used on the driving or the driven shaft. With this arrangement the ducts leading to the contacting faces of the teeth would be in the direction of the movement of the lubricant under the action of centrifugal force, as shown at the up er part of Fig. 4, or in the direction opposed to said flow, as shown by the lower art of Fig. 4.

In order that the flow of t e lubricant shall be in the direction ofits flow under the action of centrifugal force, the ducts are formed extending in the general direction of motion of the members and then turned backwardly so as to deliver the lubricant to the oontac-tingface of the tooth. This may be effected by drilling. inwardly and upwardly from the outer face of the member and then drilling in from the face of the tooth to intersect said duct.

What I claim is: v

1. The combination with a rotatable member provided with a tooth, of a second member rotatable on substantially the same axis andprovided with a tooth adapted to engage the tooth of said first mentioned member to rotate the same, one of said members being recessed inwardly towards its axis to form a lubricant receptacle and also being provided with a duct leading outwardly from said'receptacle to the bearing surface of its tooth.

2. The combination with a rotatable member provided witha tooth, of a second rotatable member provided with a tooth adapted to engage the. tooth of said first mentioned member to rotate the same, one of said members being recessed inwardly towards its axis to form a lubricant receptacle and also being rovided with a duct leading outwardly from said receptacle to the bearing surface of its tooth, and a journal bearing for said last mentioned member, said journal bearing being nearer the axis than said lubricant receptacle.

3. The combination with two rotatable members each of which is provided with teeth of a coupling member provided with teeth engaged with the teeth of the two rotatable members, one of said rotatable members being recessed to form a lubricant receptacle and also being provided with ducts leading outwardly from said receptacle to the engaged faces of its teeth. a

4. The combination with two rotatable members each of which is provided with teeth of a hollow couplinghmember rovided with teeth engaged with e teeth 0 the two rotatable members, said coupling being provided on its interior with projections seated on said rotatable members, one of said rotatable members being recessed to form a lubricant receptacle and also being provided with ducts leading outwardly from said receptacle to the enga ed faces of its teeth and also be ing provide with a duct to convey lubricant from said receptacle and discharge it within the hollow'cou ling.-

5. The com ination with two rotatable members each of which is provided with" teeth, of a two-part coupling member, each of the parts of adapted to engage with rotatable members, ducts being provided leading outwardly to the en a ed faces of some of said teeth to feed lubricant outwardly by centrifugal force to said engaging teeth faces.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERTA. MQKEE.

t e teeth of said two Witnesses:

G. F; DE WEIN, FRANK E. DENNETT.

which is rovided with teeth- 

